Blue Moon
by the vineyard tales
Summary: Haruno Sakura returns back as a 19-year-old kunoichi. Will she choose again to protect the man she loves by living a life of regrets? Or will her heart be strong enough to seek an alternative solution? [Sequel to Passing Rain.] -DISCONTINUED-
1. Sakura

**A/N** : I do not own Naruto. This is a sequel to _Passing Rain_. Now you may be wondering why I wrote another sequel to _Passing Rain_ when there's already _Ocean_. Well, my original plan was to end _Passing Rain_ just the way it was, but I couldn't help but wonder what the fates of Naruto, Sakura, and Sarada would be like in different dimensions. Plus, I left _Passing Rain_ on an ambiguous note, so I felt that there could be more exploration in the narratives. Unlike the other two stories, I think that this one will end in a happier tone.

The beginning of this story will start out with Sakura's POV, but the rest of the story will continue in third person. Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto…

How could I ever tell him the truth?

Boruto was dead.

Even an idiot without years of medical experience could tell that the boy was dead. His once rosy cheeks were now ghostly white, and his half-closed eyes containing the blue orbs, once vibrant and shining with all the hope in the world, was now dark from losing its last lively sparkle.

His mother was holding him in her arms while pouring all the flames of fury in her out at me. Those ghastly white eyes of hers, containing the type of wrath that only a mother could bear, glared at me grudgingly.

"You whore! You're the one who's responsible for all this!" Hinata shrieked at me again, and I accepted everything she said in my heart quietly.

"Please, Hinata. Just come with me. I only want to protect you," I tried to convince her, although persuasion was never my strongest forte.

Just as I thought, Hinata didn't listen to me. Instead, she backed further away from me. Her feet were precariously on the edge of the Hokage Monument. Loose soil and rocks crumbled down the cliff each time she made a sudden move.

I realized that she was one step away from falling into the hellfire that was Konoha now.

I instantaneously reached my hand out, hoping that she would take it.

"Hinata," I pleaded. "Come with me, please. I can help you. We can go into this hiding place I know, where you can be safe. Please, Hinata."

I couldn't tell whether she was laughing or crying. Maybe it was both.

There was fire, and it encased Konoha with its brilliant bright blaze. Millions of screams and pleas for mercy from perhaps a thousand miles away rang implacably into my ears.

A gust of wind swept through every nook and cranny of Konoha, feeding the flames and molding it into a gargantuan monster that swallowed the entire village whole.

Despite the scene happening behind her, Hinata just shook her head and held her dead child tight against her chest.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. "Not without Boruto."

"Hinata, Boruto is—"

"Don't try to fucking reason with me when you didn't do that in the first place!" she yelled this time. "You took away my husband, my home, and now my children…"

"Well then, we should go try and find Himawari together instead of standing here!" I yelled in exasperation.

Hinata's lips curled into a smile, but it was short from being sincere.

"You're right," she told me. "I can't just stand around here."

And then, she dove into the black pit of smoke and ashes.

I couldn't save her.

Slowly, everything went dark as I sank into the ground, wheezing as I let the toxic fumes in the atmosphere squeeze my lungs.

* * *

"Sakura…"

Someone was calling my name.

The voice was nothing but a hoarse, faint echo at first, but became clear and distinct in time.

The voice was calling me, reaching out to me.

Who is it?

Who are you? You sound familiar, and so kind to me.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!"

My eyes fluttered back into the light.

He was standing there in front of me, handsome as ever with those bewitching blue eyes. His devilish grin, however, soon shrank into lines of concern.

Most of our friends, including Hinata, encircled us, and I soon realized that I was back again.

Back when we were all 19 years old in a peaceful Konoha.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" he said. I didn't even realize at first, but my eyes were producing droplets of tears. One by one, they slid down to my cheeks, to my chin, and to the village streets.

I quickly rubbed my eyes. "It's nothing," I mumbled.

"She's probably just lonely because Sasuke's not around," Kiba said, like the smart-ass he was. As if she had read my mind, Ino bopped him on the head for me.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, perturbed. "I didn't know that our talks about going on dates would make you sad."

I gave Naruto a quick, deadly glare before uttering a "No, it's not that" to him.

I could've sworn that his heart had stopped cold for a second, from the way blood drained down from his face.

Everyone around me looked worried, and I didn't know how to break out of this awkwardness.

Thankfully, just then, there was a stomach rumbling.

"Hey, when are we going to eat some meat? I'm hungry," Choji piped up, patting his belly with a frown.

"Yeah, we should all go eat like we planned to instead of standing in the middle of the road," Tenten chimed in. "Otherwise, we're just wasting our precious time here."

Slowly, everyone nodded in agreement and began to take steps toward an eatery nearby. Only Ino stood with me.

"Hey forehead, are you sure that you're alright? What's with the tear works back there?" she said. Her tone seemed harsh, but I knew Ino better than anyone. She was only worried about me as her best friend.

"It's… it's nothing," I stuttered while watching Naruto slung his arm around a happy Hinata in the distance.

How could I ever tell him that his son is dead?

There was no village engulfed in malevolent flames, no screams of anguish from a heartbroken wife, and no broken homes and dreams in this world.

Everything must be perfect this time. I can't make the same mistake over and over again.

Naruto…


	2. Light and Dark

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Naruto_.

* * *

Darkness was his only old acquaintance.

The confines were spacious. Naruto didn't know where the beginning or the end was, or if the place had a beginning and an end. He tried walking around the place many times, and still could never find any doors or openings. The only stream of light came from a tiny rectangular patch up on the ceiling, which seemed like a thousand miles away from where he was. He knew that he could never reach it. He didn't know how, just like the way he didn't know when or how long he was there in the darkness. He spent most of the days sitting on a tree trunk, and observing any subtle changes in colors of the light.

Then, like a drop of rain, she came by one day.

At first, even though Naruto couldn't sense her presence, he heard footsteps against the cobblestones. All of his five senses spiked up as he heard her come closer to his spot.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" he asked the stranger, all while trying to repress the trembles in his voice.

And when her face hit the stream of light, his muscles unwittingly relaxed.

She was lovely, yet so familiar.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked again.

She knelt in front of him, and thoroughly studied his features. Still, the way she rubbed the dirt off his whisker marks made him feel uneasy. It was as if she held a secret about him within every touch, as if she knew him for ages.

"Do you know me?" she finally spoke.

She held his gaze with her pure and brilliant eyes. They reminded him of the stars that he saw on rare nights, when the skies were velvet and clear as the river.

He shook his head.

She smiled as if someone had set fire upon her, and took his hands. He was like a block of ice, but her hands were warm as the kiln.

"Would you like to know a bit more about yourself?" she said, and Naruto nodded, believing that perhaps she possessed knowledge that he lost in time. He could trust her, or so his instincts told him.

"Listen carefully as I tell you the story about a man who sacrificed his life for a woman who couldn't love him," she said.

* * *

 **A/N:** This story will probably be written in slower pace than its predecessor and 'twin.' That being said, I hope to make the next chapter more about Naruto and Sakura's past. Enjoy your holidays!


	3. Oblivion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_.

* * *

Sakura couldn't keep fate at bay, regardless of her past actions, present choices, and future consequences.

In her dreams, Hinata cursed her with Boruto in her arms. As soon as she reached her arms out toward them, flames engulfed the mother and dead son.

Then, she would amalgamate with the flames as well, burning deeply with shame and guilt for her uselessness, her ineffectuality, infidelity, selfishness, frailty, and all that was associated with women in the name of societal hatred.

Subsequently, Sakura would wake up either weeping or shrieking in her bed. Her mother often rushed into her room to comfort her, while her dad stood outside sighing in grief.

Even though her mother held her, and told her soothing words to tranquilize her disturbed soul, Sakura knew that her nightmares would repeat day and night.

Her nightmares were her reality, and she was the living embodiment of it wherever she went, in mind, body, and spirit.

* * *

"Sakura!"

"Yes, shishou?"

She wondered why Tsunade had called her to the Hokage's office early in the morning. Her master's sonorous voice was not a great way to greet the day.

Then Tsunade said something too unremarkable for its own good.

"You're off."

"Off what?"

"Off duty. Starting today, I am no longer in need of your service," her master spoke.

Before the little apprentice could protest, Tsunade pulled a file from a bookshelf that always remained untouched for all of Sakura's previous life cycles, until now.

 _Something's really off here_ , Sakura thought. Before Sakura could voice the reason why she shouldn't be off duty, Tsunade tossed the file across the polished mahogany desk. It slid its way toward Sakura.

"Take a look at it," Tsunade said, and Sakura did what she was told.

* * *

Calm breeze caressed his blond manes and the smoke from his half-burnt cigarette between his lips. Naruto was lying on top of Konoha's southern walls, straight within perfect view of the Hokage Rock. Not that he cared about the mounds of poker-faced carvings. No, Uzumaki Naruto had better things to do in life, such as watching the blue sky and letting his eyes steadily drift with the clouds.

The once boisterous, hyperactive ninja didn't even flinch as a shadow approached him.

"Go away, Hinata," he said, not bothering to get up. "I told you, I'm busy."

"I never knew that Uzumaki Naruto could be too busy, even for his girlfriend," a modulated voice replied. Instantly recognizing the tone, he rose up to face her.

"Sakura–chan," Naruto said. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't mind the fact that he rarely practiced his _hello_ and _how-are-you_ like the rest of Konoha. No, Haruno Sakura knew Naruto far too long to even care. If she was his girlfriend or —heaven forbid— his wife, perhaps this scenario would've changed. But Sakura had let go of the pleasant reveries that she held dear about Naruto long ago.

She sat next to him, and together, they became awkwardly silent. There was only the sound of the wind viciously rustling through the trees.

"I didn't know that you smoked," she finally said while facing the Hokage Rock.

He took a glance at her, but she didn't.

"Does this bother you?" he said, holding the butt of the cigarette.

Sakura stayed silent. Taking that as a yes, Naruto took a long drag and released the smoke away from her. Still, it didn't help the fact that the wind blew back all the cancer–ridden air at her. She coughed lightly. Grunting in dissatisfaction, Naruto twisted the last remaining stub on the wall and carelessly flicked it away.

She did not miss a beat on this.

"You do realize that you just littered, do you?" Sakura said. There was a hint of irritancy in near the end of her remark.

He insipidly took a glance at her again. "So?" he said.

 _"So?!_ " Sakura furiously stood up, fired up from his apathy. He was in for it now. "What do you mean by that?! What if someone was down there?"

"Well, that's none of my concern."

"Well maybe you should, considering the fact that you're going to become the hokage one day," Sakura countered. "Really, Naruto. You're in no position to be so thoughtless at this point."

Abruptly, he stood up against her. His body towered over her seemingly delicate, feminine physique. Haruno Sakura had no idea just how tall and broad Uzumaki Naruto became over the years. Nevertheless, she held her own stance just as well as he did.

His eyes darkened, then cooled to the point where Sakura thought that Konoha had froze.

"That's easy for you to say, Sakura–chan," Naruto said. "You're always wrapped up in yourself."

Sakura was sure that his words had iced over her.

"Tell me the real reason why you're here, Sakura–chan," Naruto said while lighting another cigarette. "I hate having small talks with you at this point, so let's get down to business. After all, that's the only reason why you always need me, right?"

"Naruto…"

"Or," Naruto said, taking a drag and releasing puffs of smoke. "Do you want me to bring Sasuke back again? Should I be your good messenger boy and tell him how you feel without him?"

"Naruto, I don't understand where this is coming from—"

He abruptly held her shoulders.

"Sakura–chan," Naruto said. His eyes and voice were trembling, and Sakura, as always, was oblivious to his feelings.

She was frightened.

"Let go of me, Naruto," Sakura squirmed, but his grasp became tighter.

"Sakura–chan," he repeated her name again. This time, his voice was hushed.

The wind calmed its blows as he earnestly locked his eyes with hers.

"Sakura–chan, why can't you just…"

Before he could finish, Naruto groaned in agony. Wrapping his hands around his head, he fell like an axed tree.

He could only hear Sakura's voice calling for him, but soon, she was dissolving into oblivion.

* * *

 **A/N:** It's been a while since I last updated. It's the same excuse that everyone gives, but yeah, I've been busy. I really wanted to update for a while now, and I finally got my wish come true.


	4. Smile

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto._ **  
**

* * *

The embers glowed beneath the dry twigs and stone. He listened to her attentively, watching the sparks crack the spindly branches and dissipate into nothingness.

When silence submersed the chamber, Naruto raised his head to study the storyteller. She wore a maroon, threadbare cloak that sheltered her face from his gaze. The only things remotely human about her were her hands, which were pale but smooth as a newborn baby.

"Why are you telling me this?" he finally asked.

She wordlessly tossed a few branches into the makeshift campfire. Flames illuminated stronger than before, and Naruto noticed that her hands were covered in neatly mended scars.

"Perhaps," the storyteller replied. "It's better now than never. Perhaps I owe you the truth."

Naruto couldn't see the woman's face underneath the cloak, but he could tell that she was smiling. It was the type of smile that didn't twist his guts out of sheer disgust and hatred.

"Tell me," the storyteller said. "Do you ever remember a time where you lived a life of regrets?"

* * *

The visions were back with vengeance. Konoha was burning passionately before his aquamarine eyes. The intense smell of smoldering flesh and homes ingrained into his mind and skin.

Surely, Naruto thought to himself. This is all just a nightmare…

He walked through the flaming streets of his village in utter disbelief. The fierce heat had told him otherwise as he wiped the sweat off his brows and smoothed his hair. Then, he noticed something peculiar about his appearance.

Gone were the days of his spiky, golden hair. Instead, it was cropped into a militaristic crew cut.

He was wearing a white cape with crimson blaze embroidered on the ends. Naruto tried to take the cape off, but sparks of flame soon caught on his wardrobe. A trail of flame climbed onto his arms, his legs, and his torso.

Eventually, it consumed him whole.

"No!" he screamed. "NO!"

"Naruto!" a voice reached out to him.

His eyelids slowly opened. Naruto found himself lying in his bed. The afternoon light streamed through the orange curtained window. His room was bathed in peach aura, which calmed him down quickly.

Something else that soothed him was a pair of her gentle, sweet-tempered hand on his chest.

"Hinata?" he immediately said. Naruto's eyes followed her hands, arms, and eventually, her face.

"You wish," Sakura replied, and soon lifted her hands away from him.

He groaned and observed his surroundings. "Why am I back in my room?" he asked.

Sakura sat next to him on a stool. "You blacked out," she said. "I had to carry you all the way from the southern walls. It wasn't easy, you know."

Naruto sat up from his bed, and winced in pain from headache. He ran his hand over his hair, which was still serrated and mid-length.

"Sorry, Sakura–chan," Naruto said.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault that you lost consciousness—"

"No, not that," he responded. "Well, I mean, yeah, I'm sorry that you had to carry me all the way to my house. Also, I'm sorry for acting out on you. I shouldn't have done that."

Quietly, Sakura reached her hand out to his and smiled. Naruto knew that he was instantly forgiven from the gesture. He knew her too well even through silence.

He placed his other hand on top of hers and smiled back.

"Just tell me one thing," Sakura inquired. "What were you trying to say to me before?"

Naruto dodged her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know what I'm talking about," she pressed on, leaning closer to him. "Tell me now, Naruto, before I—"

"Hello? Naruto–kun, are you home?" a voice called out as the room to his door opened. There stood Hinata in her pretty white dress and basket, witnessing Naruto and Sakura in close proximity.

"Oh," was all that Hinata could verbalize.

Blanching, Naruto quickly removed his hand from Sakura and slightly backed away. "H-hey, Hinata! What brings you here?" Naruto stammered.

"Well, Sakura–san called me over to look after you about an hour ago," Hinata replied, implanting a bright smile on her face.

"I have to go," Sakura said, effortlessly gliding toward the door. "But I'll catch you two later."

"Right," Hinata said. "Thank you, Sakura–san. You're always a pleasure."

"Likewise," Sakura replied as she closed the door.

* * *

Time had passed. His room, now dyed in shades of violet, was awkwardly and uncomfortably silent. Hinata fed Naruto some of her homemade soup, and he felt the burning sensation slide down his throat. He never voiced complaint, however. Naruto never verbalized any difficulties that he encountered to her in the course of their relationship. That was just their normal way of forming a bond, or so he believed.

Finally, she spoke. "Why was Sakura–san in your room for so long, Naruto–kun?"

He gulped down the soup, and choked. "She was just helping me recover, Hinata," Naruto said between the coughs. "Would you leave someone alone if you saw them unconscious in public?"

Hinata paused in thought, and then replied, "Of course not. Especially not you, Naruto–kun."

"Right," he said. "And besides, Sakura–chan is a medic–nin, and one of my best friends since childhood. It would be strange if she left me alone."

Hinata nodded in slight satisfaction. Naruto gave himself a small sigh of relief, thinking that he diffused whatever inner turmoil Hinata was brewing up in her little heart.

"Say, Naruto–kun," Hinata said as she fed him more soup. "Would you save me if I lost consciousness in public?"

"Yes," he said, incredulous of her question. _What is she trying to get out of here?_

"Then if both Sakura–san and I were unconscious in public, who would you save?" Hinata asked.

Without hesitation, Naruto said, "I would save you both."

"But what if you had to save only one of us?"

"I would still save you both," he said.

There was an unspoken consent of interlude between the two. A minute later, Hinata stretched her lips into an ornate smile. Naruto did the same.


End file.
